


Charlie Chaplin and the Queen Bee

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: California Dreaming [2]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Family, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-03
Updated: 2013-05-03
Packaged: 2017-12-10 06:07:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/782685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I hope you get kissed…or something!”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Charlie Chaplin and the Queen Bee

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t know if this is going to be a series but I'm starting to like the characters so you never know.

Jason walked into the den to thunderous applause. Jake even wolf whistled. The former FBI Agent bowed.

“You look like a sexy beast.” Tameka said giggling.

“That wasn’t the look I was going for.” He said.

“Your date is going to be all over you.” Cameron said. He got up from the arm of the couch and sniffed Gideon. “Ooh and you smell like a rich guy or something.”

“Its Drakkar Noir, I wear it a lot, and it’s not a date.”

“Are you sure it’s not a date?” Jake asked.

“I'm pretty sure.” Gideon nodded.

“Are you like super sure?” Cameron asked.

“Guys…”

“Still, you look good Gideon.” Tashima said. “Your friend will be very impressed.”

He’d dressed in black dress slacks and a black button down shirt. Jason didn't want to be too formal, didn't think a tie was necessary. He put on his good shoes, made sure he smelled nice, and thought about changing three times. For this not to be a date, he was putting his best foot forward. 

But it was a gallery opening. It wasn’t a ten o’clock class or a philosophy department meeting. He wasn’t taking the kids to a movie or driving to the coast to breathe. He wanted to look good, not just for Paloma, because the people around him would look good. Still, something in him wouldn’t let him call it a date.

“I want you guys to be good while Kim’s here.” He said. “You can watch any movie you want but I want you in bed at a decent hour.”

“It’s Friday.” Maddie complained. “Can't we stay up late?”

“Nine is late for you. I want you in bed by then.”

“OK.” she nodded.

“I still don’t get why we couldn’t stay home alone.” Jake said.

“We’ll discuss it some other time, I promise.” Gideon said. “Just cross your hearts that you're going to be good for Kim.”

All five of them did, getting a smile from their foster dad.

“I need to get going, Friday night traffic to Santa Rosa will be insane. Kim will be here in a few minutes. If she isn’t, call my cell phone immediately and I'm coming back. I don’t want you not to call me because you think you're ruining a potential date. You guys and your safety is more important to me.”

“Gideon, sometimes you're like the bad guy in the movie.” Jake said. “You keep talking and talking and talking.”

“Alright, I'm leaving. Have a great night you guys.”

“Bye Gideon! Have fun!” they all said in unison.

“I hope you get kissed…or something!” Cameron exclaimed.

“I second that.” Tashima raised her hand. 

“Thank you. I’ll be home by eleven.”

Jason grabbed his sports jacket from the closet before walking out the front door. There was a sea breeze coming in and the possibility of a chilly night. He also smelled rain in the air. It wasn’t usually so rainy in late April but this area of California could be unpredictable. 

In one county there might be 15 inches of rain per year and in the next 50. He liked that he wasn’t quite sure what would happen. Not knowing about the weather was certainly better than not knowing what an unhinged human being was up to. Jason would take the rain.

He climbed into his SUV and pulled out of the driveway. Halfway down Ashley Drive, Jason saw Kim’s Volkswagen so he honked. He felt better and knew the kids would be just fine. Relaxing and trying to have fun tonight was important. Jason couldn’t remember the last time he was on a date. 

While he was in the BAU work took precedence. In California, he just kept to himself. He taught, looked after kids, spent time with his animals, and kept himself mentally and physically healthy. Jason didn't want to over think this. 

Paloma invited him somewhere and he was going. She had good friend potential. That’s what he wanted to think about. It had also been a long time since he let anyone into his life and just had a friend. He missed that.

***

“I was starting to worry about you.” Paloma smiled as he walked up to the gallery entrance. She was standing outside. “I was going to give it another five minutes and then call.”

“The traffic was awful.” Jason replied. “Then I had to find parking, which took almost as much time as the ride here and…”

“What?”

“You look amazing.”

“Thanks.” She smiled again.

“I'm just so used to seeing you in work clothes. This is definitely not a work outfit.”

“No.” she shook her head as she smoothed her hand over her red cocktail dress. It had one strap and just brushed her knees. She matched it with a pair of red peep toed stilettos that added 3” to her height. “You don’t look so bad yourself, Jason. Black is a good color on you.”

“I have to say the same about red; for you that is. Are you ready to go in?”

“Yes.” 

Jason held out his arm and Paloma smiled as she held onto it. They went into the gallery, where an active crowd was partying and enjoying the art. He grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing tray and handed one to his companion.

“Thank you. Are you ready to see some amazing art?” she asked.

“I've been looking forward to it.” Gideon smiled. “C'mon Watson, lets go places.”

***

“So, how many tattoos do you have?”

“Oh no,” Paloma laughed. She shook her head as she sipped her coffee. “A woman never reveals her age, dress size, or body ink. Well, she’ll reveal her body ink eventually.”

Jason smiled. They’d had a lovely evening at the gallery. Jason met the artist and liked some of the artwork. There were even a few pieces he would consider buying. Jason loved paintings and photography. They were reasonably priced for someone on the rise. He asked Kyle to hold one for seven days. Kyle agreed and Jason knew he’d be back for it. 

He and Paloma left a little early. There was a coffeehouse on the other end of Front Street. She thought a cup of coffee and maybe a little dessert would be a good way to settle the couple of glasses of champagne they consumed. Both had to drive home tonight. So they sat at a small table; Paloma had coffee and Jason had tea. They shared a large slice of chocolate cake with extra whipped cream.

“I like the chess piece.” He said. “It’s lovely.”

“It was my first.” She said. Paloma had a tattoo of a queen chess piece on her shoulder blade. 

Jason really liked her skin. He hadn't touched much of it, so far just her arm, but it always looked smooth. She took good care of it; he could tell. With summer rapidly approaching the sun had given her a sun kissed bronze look. Makeup could do it as well but something told him that Paloma’s glow was natural. 

“If I guess a number will you tell me if I'm right?” he asked.

“You're intrigued.” She replied.

“I am.” Jason nodded. “I find body art fascinating in its own way. I wonder what people are thinking when they get tattoos. Does it mean the same thing years later? Do they have any that they regret?”

“I made a promise to myself that I would only get art I could feel just as passionate about at eighty. It’s not always easy to keep that promise but there's not one I regret.”

“So is it five?”

“I'm not telling.” She smiled. “Do you have any tattoos?”

“No. I'm boring.”

“You are not boring Jason.” Paloma shook her head. “How long have you been teaching at Sonoma State?”

“Five years.”

“And where were you before that? I didn't think you looked like a California boy.”

“I haven’t been a boy in a long time.” he laughed some.

“You know what I meant.”

“I was born and raised in Chicago…a town where there are actually seasons.”

“I've heard wonderful things about seasons. Are they as lovely as I imagine?”

“They're probably even more so. Before I started at Sonoma, I was in the FBI.”

“Really?” Paloma put her chin in the palm of her hand, leaning closer across the table. “What did you specialize in? My cousin’s wife is in the FBI. She works in the Dallas field office doing missing persons cases.”

“I was in the BAU.”

“Did you retire?” 

“I resigned.” Jason said.

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“I’d prefer not to. It feels like a lifetime ago. I like being a teacher; do you like being a social worker?”

“Sometimes. I've had some private sector offers that I've been giving serious consideration over the last few months. I'm not as young as I used to be. I think I’d like to explore other avenues and not just retire from the state.”

“The pension is quite nice I'm sure.” Jason said.

“The state of California is broke. I’d be lucky if they haven’t already put my pension on roulette wheel. I’ll be forty in September. I have 25 more years to build it back up again.”

“You're forty?”

“You seem mortified.” Paloma said.

“No, I'm just surprised.” He shook his head. “You don’t look forty. You barely look 35.”

“As my mother always says, black don’t crack. I'm going to take that as a compliment.”

“It is a compliment. And does your mother really say that?”

“Oh yes she does.” Paloma laughed as she nodded. Then she looked at her watch. “Its getting late…I'm sure you want to get home to the kids. I keep imagining the scene out of _The Incredibles_ when the weary teenage babysitter just sits on the couch and sprays Jack Jack with the fire extinguisher as he turns into a fireball.”

“That sounds about right.” Jason laughed. “Do you want to take this cake with you?”

“You think I'm 35 and offered me all the cake? Don’t make me like you anymore than I already do, Jason Gideon.”

“I’ll try not to.”

***

They were walking back to the parking lot, arm and arm. Paloma had parked in the same place as Jason, almost 20 minutes before he arrived. The rain was holding off for now but he’d given her his sports jacket to put over her shoulders. She’d left her jacket in the car. It didn't go well with the dress. She didn't mind being a little chilly to pull off her look. The price of beauty was sometimes high.

“You told me your age back there.” Jason said. He moved his arm down, slipping his hand in hers.

“Oh no.” Paloma started looking around the well-lit street.

“What?”

“I'm looking for someplace to hide your body. Let me know if you see any soft dirt or mulch.”

“You're strange sometimes.” He looked at her with a little crooked smile.

“That’s Lola.” She said.

“Lola?”

“That’s what my mom and dad call me when I'm being a goofball. I tend to be a goofball when I'm nervous.”

“Do I make you nervous?”

“Don’t ask me a question Jason…make a statement.”

“My favorite movie is The _Great Dictator_.” He said.

“You like Charlie Chaplin.”

“I have an unhealthy obsession with Charlie Chaplin.”

“He had a thing for 16 year old girls, which doesn’t make him much different from the average man. Someone also stole his body from the grave and held it for ransom. That’s a little spooky. I wonder if they ever got the money.”

“I think Scotland Yard set up a sting operation and captured them when they came to collect.” Jason said.

“I'm glad that you know that.” she said. “My current favorite movie is _Goodnight and Good Luck_ , but _The Stepford Wives_ is my all time favorite. The Omen is a close second. That’s the movie that, strangely enough, got me into religion. There's my car.”

“You can't end the night with that statement.”

“I guess we can pick it up at dinner sometime. Is next Friday good?”

“Yes.” Jason smiled and nodded.

“So I’ll see you then.” Paloma said.

“I’ll pick a nice place. Do you mind coming to Windsor?”

“I don’t mind at all.” she shook her head. 

They stopped in front of a silver Dodge Charger. Jason was still holding her hand.

“I had a great time tonight.”

“I did as well.” he gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

Paloma squeezed his hand and then kissed his lips. She liked it so much that she did it twice. As she was about to pull away, Jason put his arms around her waist and held her close. Paloma sighed when she felt his breath on her face.

“So I’ll call you?”

“Mmm hmm.”

“Goodnight, Paloma.”

“Goodnight.”

They held on for just a moment longer. Then Jason opened her car door and she climbed in. Paloma waved, leaning over to pull the door closed. Jason wore a small smile all the way back to his burgundy Chevy Traverse. He got in, turned on the radio, turned the volume low, and called home.

“Everything is fine, Agent Gideon.” Kim said when she answered the phone. “Maddie and Cameron are asleep, the twins are hanging out in their room, and Jake is finishing up Indiana Jones.”

“I should be home in about a half hour.” he said.

“We’ll see you then.”

Jason hung up. He turned up Fleetwood Mac and let Christine McVie sing to him. It had been a good night; even better than he expected. He felt good with Paloma. Jason wanted to listen to her talk, laugh, and flirt. 

It was hard to shake trying to figure out just how many tattoos she had. He wanted to know more about her…dinner next week would be interesting. Getting too far ahead of himself wasn’t Gideon’s way. Slow and steady won the race. It didn't seem as if Paloma wanted to rush either. 

Spending time with someone might be nice. It had been so long. She was smart and funny and very beautiful. She seemed interested in talking to him and getting to know him better. She actually knew who Charlie Chaplin was. 

Jason Gideon was 58 years old. The idea of growing older alone wasn’t appealing. He was solitary, yes, but there was a difference in being lonely. It was time to stop thinking about it. He and Paloma would see each other again soon, and maybe again after that. Considering tonight as a first date might be alright after all.

***


End file.
